


I'd Like That

by Ashley_vh



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Scene Rewrite
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-04
Updated: 2016-04-03
Packaged: 2018-05-31 04:10:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6455188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ashley_vh/pseuds/Ashley_vh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was like a dream that made his mind go fuzzy, like he wasn’t there anymore.  No one was watching them; it was just Magnus and Alec.  Like those fairy tales Izzy used to read as a kid.  Like a knight coming to save the day with the sunlight surrounding him, making him glow like an angel.</p>
<p>If he could look away from the man’s face, he could see the usual colors Magnus wore were missing, save for the strip of blood red in his soft hair.  But even dressed in all black he looked amazing.  Slim, but strong; tall, but shorter than Alec, he’d have to stoup to reach Magnus’ pink lips.  His eyes were wide with surprise, probably from being so late, and something else, but they still drew Alec in, slowed time to a snail pace while they just looked at each other.</p>
<p>More than anything, in that moment, he wished Magnus was standing beside him on the altar.  That he was marrying Magnus instead.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>The wedding was amazing, but I wanted to see what happened if it went slightly differently.  Multi-chapter story of the intricacies of having a secret relationship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'd Like That

**Author's Note:**

> 4/3/16

She did look beautiful.

He’d already known that.  She looked beautiful.  Her long blond hair, usually pinned away from her face, was in intricate braids that must have taken the whole morning.  He could almost see the twinkle in her bright eyes from the altar.  Her Marks stood out stark against her pale skin.  The white of the wedding dress was interrupted by beautiful glittering gold leaves, pulling the eye along her soft curves; the low cut fabric called attention to her chest, teasing out from behind the brilliant blood red bouquet and soft looking in a way that would be appealing. 

Men like blonde women.  Men like women with large chests—

He could almost see what he was supposed to see.  Almost.

_Your heart beats faster…_

It was.  But not in anticipation.

She paused in the center of the doorway, letting the crowd look at her.  Letting him look at her.  Like he was supposed to. 

When their eyes met, she smiled a tight, close-lipped smile. 

Magnus had told him that he’d be lonely for the rest of his life.  He could already feel it creeping along his skin as she floated towards him.  This was it.  The rest of his life walking down the aisle.

Lydia smiled at the spectators as she walked towards him.  They were all staring at her, enraptured by her.  The way he should be.

His throat was tight as she stepped up to the altar.  He worried that, when the time came, he wouldn’t be able to speak.  She held out her arm, so Alec took her hand, leading her up to stand in front of him. 

He hoped the smile seemed genuine.

All the guests had arrived already, so when the door banged shut, Alec looked away from the woman he was meant to marry.   The crowd had murmured when Lydia had walked the aisle, commenting on her beauty and how happy she looked, but now they were whispering—harsh and biting and grating on his nerves before he even caught sight of who caused the disturbance.

It was like a dream that made his mind go fuzzy, like he wasn’t there anymore.  No one was watching them; it was just Magnus and Alec.  Like those fairy tales Izzy used to read as a kid.  Like a knight coming to save the day with the sunlight surrounding him, making him glow like an angel.

If he could look away from the man’s face, he could see the usual colors Magnus wore were missing, save for the strip of blood red in his soft hair.  But even dressed in all black he looked amazing.  Slim, but strong; tall, but shorter than Alec, he’d have to stoup to reach Magnus’ pink lips.  His eyes were wide with surprise, probably from being so late, and something else, but they still drew Alec in, slowed time to a snail pace while they just looked at each other.

More than anything, in that moment, he wished Magnus was standing beside him on the altar.  That he was marrying Magnus instead.

_Your heart beats faster._

He could feel it skip a beat and then pick up double time.  His skin tingled like tiny shocks all over him, nerves maybe, or—

Magnus’ eyes flicked away suddenly and he looked surprised, or maybe concerned?  He followed the man’s eyes, to where Lydia was supposed to be standing, waiting to join their families.

But she wasn’t there. 

It was like everything was underwater, blocking the sound of Izzy catching Lydia before she hit the ground.  He came back to his senses fairly quickly as the congregation swarmed up, calling out nonsense in the din that might have been words, but Alec couldn’t tell.

As he knelt by Lydia’s side, looking away from her fluttering eyes and twitching lips, he turned to catch one last glimpse of Magnus.  But he was gone.

* * *

They’d waited around in the reception area set up in the Institute for what seemed like hours after Lydia was led away.  They’d stayed in the uncomfortable wedding clothes, waiting to hear what they would say happened to her.   Most of the guests started eating—what was the point of waiting, the wedding wasn’t going to happen today anyway—but Alec didn’t.

He sat staring at the tile floor, lost in thought.  A few tired to talk to him, but after Izzy just smiled and shrugged them away, they said things like “He’s just worried about her, isn’t he?”  If they were a little more brazen, or a little more drunk, they’d say he was disappointed to put off the wedding night.

His mother, after enough pacing back and forth across the floor a short distance from him to melt a hole to the basement with her stomps, said, “This wouldn’t have happened if Magnus had just stayed away.  He probably cursed the poor girl—”

She probably would have continued for another hour if Izzy hadn’t interrupted her, “That’s ridiculous.”  His sister’s voice was sharp, “Why would he do something like that?”  She was met with a huff and more pacing.

Finally, someone, he didn’t pay much attention to who it was, came out of the medical wing and said Lydia was fine.  Nerves and lack of food overcame her, but she felt too weak to go on with the ceremony.

Alec didn’t wait for all of the guests to leave before he rushed out of the room.  Trying, and probably failing to leave without being noticed.

He had all but ripped the bow tie off his neck in haste as he rushed up the stairs, leaving the strip of cloth in the pile of his suit jacket, shirt, and shoes by the door.  Everyone was still downstairs, probably preparing to leave by now, so the large workout room was empty and quiet, save for the smacks of his fists against the thick cloth punching bag. 

His breath was coming in short gasps as he threw punch after punch against it, harder and faster until he was less working out and more trying to murder the workout equipment.

“Got something to get off your chest?”  He didn’t realize someone had come in the room, standing a few feet away between the door and him, so when she spoke, it startled him into whipping around, preparing for an attack.

Lydia didn’t so much as flinch.  She stayed standing between him and the exit, dressed in simple, loose fitting black clothes with her hair in loose waves around her shoulders.  She smiled a little and held out a bottle of water, not moving any closer to him.  Like he was a wild animal that she needed to coax close.

Alec took the bottle from her, ignoring the twinge in his gut at her words.  “You’re looking pretty spry for someone who collapsed this morning,” he said, twisting open the water and drinking until his breath didn’t come quite so quickly, and the sweat-covered tank top made his skin pebble in goosebumps.

She smiled and leaned a little closer, like she was telling a secret, “I faked it.”

He just blinked at her in dumbfounded silence.  “You faked it?”  he asked.  She nodded before he could even finish his question.  “Why?”  He sat the half-empty water bottle on the windowsill behind him, moving so there was more distance between them.

Lydia stopped smiling then.  She looked down, like she was embarrassed or nervous, “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”  She said, still looking down. After a moment, she looked at him with determined eyes and said, “Did you invite Magnus to our wedding?” 

Alec couldn’t help looking around, like he expected the Clave to appear around them at the mention of his name.  But her tone wasn’t angry; there was no accusation, and it was just them.  He shook his head, not daring to speak.

She nodded, like he just confirmed her belief.  “See, when he came in, I was thinking,” she said, “About how much I didn’t want to get married.”  She ran her hand through her hair, “But you seemed so sure.  And your devotion to your family name is quite admirable.”  Her lips flattened into a tense line, “And it’s not like we had anyone else, so why not?” 

Nerves ate at his stomach, but she didn’t wait for a response from Alec.

She started smiling, bright and happy like he hadn’t seen before.  “But you have someone!” 

“Lydia, stop!”  Alec snapped, turning away from her, gripping the edge of the windowsill with tense fingers.

“Alec.” she said, calmly moving a little closer, “Love isn’t wrong.”  When he didn’t turn back to her, she continued, “I mean, I like men.  Why is it wrong for you to like—”

He whipped around before she could speak the words. “It’s the law, Lydia!” He didn’t mean to say it so loud, but his words were practically yelled to the quiet.

She frowned and shrugged.  “Some laws are dumber than others.”

He tried to swallow past the knot of fear in his throat, but it was like he couldn’t breathe.  He turned away again, keeping a tight grip on the windowsill to hide his shaking hands.  This was it.  After all his adult life pretending to be what he was supposed to be, and he messed it all up on his wedding day—

She sighed a little, “I won’t tell anyone, Alec.  Not if you’re not ready.”

When he didn’t respond, Lydia didn’t say anything else.  Their breaths, quick and sharp, were the only sound.  After a moment of this, she sighed, stepping just a little bit closer, almost within arm’s reach now.  “Alec, do you want to get married?”

He should say yes.  It’s what his parents wanted; it’s what everyone expected of him.  But when he opened his mouth to form the word, he couldn’t speak.  Alec let his forehead fall against the window—he knew he was practically folding in on himself, hiding from her, but it was like he just couldn’t hold his head up any more.

Magnus was right.  He couldn’t ignore it anymore, couldn’t pretend anymore.  Lydia didn’t deserve it, neither did Magnus.

“Okay.”  She was smiling.  He could hear it in her voice.  Shouldn’t she be angry?  Ashamed?  Disgusted by what he was?  “Let’s start over.”  She said, her voice was quiet, calm, kind.   “Turn around.”

Alec didn’t listen at first, but she waited.  Eventually, when he turned, she was smiling.  Her eyes were a bit shinier than usual, but she looked happy.  She held her hand out between them.  “Hello,” she said, “I’m Lydia.”  Alec looked from her hand to her smile with confusion etched on his face.  “I’m straight, and I want to be just friends.”

He couldn’t stop himself from looking around the room one more time.  Door still shut tight, room still silent and calm, just the two of them. 

She didn’t rush him to move.  Didn’t try to force anything.  She just wanted him to say it.  Just to her, just for them, maybe to prove to herself that the wedding neither of them wanted was never happening.  Maybe it was for him—

Very slowly, like he was waiting for her to snatch her hand back and laugh at him, he reached out.  When he shook her hand, her smile widened, became brighter and livelier than it had when she was marching down the aisle.  “I’m Alec,” he said slowly, his heart beating fast in his chest.  “I’m,” he was sure she could feel the tremors in his fingers that he tried to control, “not straight.”  The words were whispered, but he could never take them back now.

Her other hand came up and wrapped around his, stilling the shakes, and warming his chilled fingertips.  Despite the coil of anxiety in his stomach and the fear, he felt lighter “And I’d like that.”

**Author's Note:**

> Despite how much I loved how that scene went, I changed it. I also have not watched the show beyond half of the first episode. So I’m sorry for any mischaracterization. My friend and beta Kay HAS watched all the show, so she’s helping keep me on track while I try to find time to catch up. I have a fairly substantial plot already, filled with humor and sadness in equal measure. I have no idea when I’ll be able to update again, this month is pretty much booked solid with class work, but I’ll try to update fairly regularly.
> 
> Thanks for reading! My Tumblr


End file.
